photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

the calm before the storm

Despite reports straight from the members of Monotonix's mouths at various shows on their current tour, a PR rep at Drag City told the Village Voice that Monotonix aren't actually breaking up:

"Reports that they are breaking up are a little exaggerated . . . What's really going down is Haggai, the drummer, has a kid on the way, and Ami wants to spend some more time with his family, so this will be their final tour for a while. But they are not looking at it as the end of the band or touring for good. Just an extended break to focus on the other parts of their lives.
That said, I know they are putting tons of energy into this tour to really make it one to remember..."

Continue reading "Monotonix played their last NYC show (for a while?) @ 285 Kent -- pics"

photos by kolored

Monotonix & fan in San Francisco

"Shelev, after a rowdy and rambunctious set, stated that he was 46-years old, their drummer was about to become a father, and their guitarist had some seeds to sow as a single Israeli. He then instructed the crowd to tweet, text and, actually, drive to San Francisco and Austin to follow them on their last tour ever. Whether this is true or just another stunt in their stunt-filled show is yet to be seen. -[OneThirtyBPM]

Monotonix's final (??) round of US dates in support of their new LP Not Yet is ongoing. The band will play Birmingham, Alabama tonight (2/1) and eventually end up at 285 Kent Ave on 2/5 for their final (??) show in NYC...

Saturday February 5th @ 285 KENT AVE
:: Monotonix ------- from Israel, on Drag City
:::: Pujol
:::::: Federation X
:::::::: the Stalkers
:: special guest comedienne: Elisa Da Prato
| 285 KENT AVE |
285 Kent Ave @ S 1st St | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L-Bedford, JM-Marcy | 8pm | all ages | $tba

Ty Segall is scheduled to play NYC TWICE in early March on his way to SXSW: at Mercury Lounge on 3/8 with Devin Therriault (tickets) and Death By Audio on March 10th with Heavy Cream.

More San Francisco pictures and (final?) tour dates below...

Continue reading "Monotonix played San Francisco w/ Ty Segall & Nodzzz (pics), announce that this is their final tour??? (updated dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Monotonix - "Give Me More" (MP3)

Montonix at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

At Fun Fun Fun Fest this year, there were very few bands that played the Yellow Stage that was tucked in the back of Waterloo Park. It was instead used for Anarchy Championship Wrestling, hot dog eating contests, jackass-like stunts and comedy. One of the few bands to play that stage? Monotonix, who actually fit right in (note that they played the main stage in the same park at the FFFFest-affiliated Mess With Texas fest during SXSW in 2009 - and they fit in there too).

Monotonix's sophmore LP, Not Yet, will be out January 25th, 2011 via Drag City - the first single "Give Me More" is available for download above. To support that effort, the nutty band will hit the road to tour first in December, and then again in the new year. Along the way they'll hit '285 Kent Ave' in Brooklyn with Pujol and Federation X on February 5th.

Even more exciting (for them at least) is that two of their upcoming shows are with Faith No More - one in LA and one in CHILE. Those two dates also happen to be Mike Patton and band's only scheduled reunion shows left. Their last shows were in Europe, Brooklyn and Philly in July. (UPDATE: Faith No More added a December 1st LA show too)

All dates and Fun Fun Fun Fest videos below.

Continue reading "Monotonix releasing a new album, touring, playing w/ Faith No More (dates & MP3)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Big Freedia

The 2010 edition of Fun Fun Fun Fest is now complete. You saw pictures from the first night. We have lots of possitive things to say coming up, but for now here is a part two of our photos - all from day two aka Saturday (11/6). They continue below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 - Day Two in pics (part 1) - Big Freedia, Antlers, Wavves, Devin the Dude, Os Mutantes & more) "

words & photos by Keith Marlowe

Brahms @ 450 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY - July 15, 2010

I felt weird as soon as I walked in the room, which had a girls giving out candy standing by two Toyotas, opened up like they were in a showroom. There was a DJ playing club music, and signs that read Toyota and the Village Voice everywhere, because everyone knows the only thing more important than throwing a party is constantly reminding people WHO is throwing the party. On the other hand, there were pretty women giving out free Cabo Wabo tequila, so I decided to have some drinks and try to relax. As I watched people take photos of themselves in a car turned into a makeshift photo booth, I still felt more like I was at a mall than about to witness one of the most unique touring rock bands in the world.

Brahms was the opener, and they seemed a curious choice to me - not only their music, but because the band stood almost motionless behind orange pieces of plexiglass or something. They were the exact opposite of what was gonna happen when Monotonix came out. I listened to a couple songs, and went backstage to watch my friend Haggai (the drummer) do push-ups in Garfield underwear.

While getting warmed up for the show he told me they had just come from Chicago where they finished a third recording session with Steve Albini. They had originally planned on doing a single, but it went so well they went back two more times and ended up recording an entire album, still untitled, that will drop this winter on Drag City. "I'm really excited about this record, I feel like it's the first time we really got the live show energy into an album format," he said. Monotonix formed in Tel Aviv, Isreal, in 2005. This record will be their third.

continued below...

Continue reading "Monotonix Up The Antics @ Siren Fest pre-party (pics & more) "

The schedule (above). The pre-party flyer... (below)

Continue reading "Siren Festival announces schedule & Monotonix/Brahms preparty (Matt & Kim headlining the whole fest) "

by Andrew Frisicano

healing as we speak!

All scheduled shows go on as planned!
We are hoping Ami will recuperate fast, and are planning to play all scheduled shows.

Sorry Athens, we'll do it some other time. [say Monotonix]

They're known for pairing on a bill with just about anyone (like when they tour with Silver Jews in fall '08), and Monotonix will join experimental K Recs folk collective Old Time Relijun and punkabilly rock bandTh' Legendary Shack*Shakers for a Wednesday, April 14th show at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 5th at noon.

The Shackshakers' new record Agridustrial will be out April 13th (one day before the show) on YepRoc. A widget to get a track off that album, a video from the show where Ami hurt himself and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Monotonix add more shows despite injury (Brooklyn Bowl)"

Monotonix injured

The problem with being a performer known for exaggeration and extreme physical antics is, when something seriously goes wrong, nobody believes it at first. And so it went last night that when Monotonix frontman Ami Shalev called for a doctor barely 15 minutes into his band's headlining set, he was, at first, relentlessly heckled.

"I think we finally managed to make history," Shalev said. The crowd cheered, figuring it would be an announcement about the band's debut appearance south of Orlando.

"After more than 700 shows, I think I finally broke my leg," he continued.

More cheering. This was part of the stunt, right?

"Is there a doctor or paramedic?" he asked.

"Suck it up!" Someone yelled.

"Pussy!" Another heckler cried.

But Shalev was obivously in pain. "Fuck you!" he yelled, wincing and grabbing his thigh. "What I need is a doctor or a paramedic, or a wheelchair. Or just a chair." He repeated the request again at least twice.

Confusion then ensued as, yes, there was a doctor or paramedic in the house, who ran to tend to him. A massive bag of ice was produced from behind the bar, and helpers produced an Ace bandage.

Shalev, though, seemed to want to continue the show from a chair, insisting to his handlers and bandmates he could just ice it down. That seemed highly unlikely once the paramedics arrived with a stretcher. Shalev refused to leave on it, but didn't get up either. Nobody from the venue bothered to announce what was going on, instead sending a DJ to the booth to play indie rock as a few people lingered, trying to dance.

Eventually, most of the crowd trickled out. (Some actually demanded refunds. Really? Enjoy your extra $7 or $10, assholes). It was an anticlimactic, deeply disappointing end to what should have been the band's triumphant introduction to South Florida.[Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

UPDATE: Pictures from the hospital above, and below with a message from the band about what happened, cancellations, and all tour dates...

Continue reading "Monotonix singer (finally) broke his leg at a Florida show"

Monotonix @ Sasquatch Fest in May (more by Chris Graham)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Kiss @ Nassau Coliseum
* Bob Weir @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Lord of the Rings @ Radio City
* Kayo Dot, Extra Life @ Drom
* Monk at 92 @ WFC Winter Garden
* Ludlow Lions, Indra @ Union Pool
* Rosanne Cash @ St. Ann's Warehouse
* Clutch, Lionize, Wino @ Irving Plaza
* Owen, The One AM Radio @ Mercury Lounge
* The Gossip, Men, Apache Beat @ Terminal 5
* Mancino, Timber Timbre, Rubik @ Union Hall
* Pierced Arrows, Endless Boogie @ Mercury Lounge
* Valley, German Measles, Blue Jungle @ Shea Stadium
* Monotonix, Turbo Fruits, The Beets @ Santos Party House
* Mason Jennings, Anni Rossi @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band @ Giants Stadium
* Psychedelic Furs, Happy Mondays, Islands @ Roseland Ballroom
* Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh and Onlys, The Beets @ Death By Audio
* TV Ghost, Wizzard Sleeve, FNU Ronnies, Unholy 2 @ Silent Barn
* Grand Archives, The Most Serene Republic, The Diggs @ Southpaw
* Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, The Fresh & Onlys @ The Bell House
* 3 Inches of Blood, Children, Mantic Ritual @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Indian Jewelry, Silk Flowers, The Present, SS Pyramid Snake @ Cake Shop
* Peelander Z, Math the Band, The Eskalators, Lima Research Society @ Maxwell's
* Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orchestra, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey @ LPR
* One Step Beyond w/ Amanda Blank, Devlin & Darko @ Museum of Natural History
* Benefit w/ These Are Powers, Lone Wolf and Cub @ Issue Project Room
* Blue Jungle, Valleys, Waters Wolves, Gary B & the Notions, German Measles, Young Boys, Le Rug, and Effing @ Shea Stadium.

Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. His popular and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound - while the predecessor, the dark and acoustic Nebraska featured songs of pessimism and isolation, Born in the U.S.A.'s lyrics expressed signs of hope in the daily fight of the standard American in following the American Dream, a new feeling complemented by synthesized arrangements and a pop-flavored, radio-oriented sound that helped Springsteen to extend his already-growing popularity and dominate the mainstream audiences. In support of the album, there was an enormous commercial and sociocultural exposure throughout a large string of hit singles, remixes and music videos, and also the renewed image that Springsteen delivered - a muscular physique and a tougher, American-hero-like persona. [Wiki]

Reunited UK rock bands Psychedelic Furs and Happy Mondays bring opener Islands to Roseland Ballroom. Islands are back as part of their own tour with Jemina Pearl on November 5th.

Grizzly Bear and Beach House are up at Vassar tonight.

Monotonix are back in NYC for the first time since the release of their hard-to-beleive-it's-their debut LP in September. Turbo Fruits and The Beets open at Santos Party House. Tomorrow they play Market Hotel, again with Turbo Fruits. Listen to an interview with Monotonix below.

Later in the evening The Beets play Death By Audio with Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh & Onlys who play with Golden Triangle at The Bell House earlier in the night.

Canada's 3 Inches of Blood play Knitting Factory Brooklyn with Children and Mantic Ritual.

Canada's Timber Timbre plays Union Hall with Mancino. Owen, who is at Mercury Lounge tonight, plays Union Hall tomorrow.

Grand Archives and The Most Serene Republic are on tour - they play Southpaw tonight.

Pierced Arrows and Endless Boogie gig at Mercury Lounge.

The ex-Nakatomi Plaza band Ludlow Lions join Indra at Union Pool.

Charlie Looker and Extra Life are at Drom with Kayo Dot.

Rosanne Cash plays only the hits (other people's) at her two-night St. Ann's Warehouse engagement.

The One Step Beyond party at American Museum of Natural History hosts Amanda Blank and Devlin & Darko.

WFC Winter Garden hosts a free Thelonius Monk show, celebrating what would be the pianist's 92nd birthday.

Clutch and Lionize play Irving Plaza for two nights with Wino.

The Gossip's new Rick Rubin-produced record just came out officially last week. They play tonight with Men and Apache Beat at Terminal 5

Issue Project Room hosts a benefit tonight with These Are Powers and Lone Wolf and Cub.

Modest Mouse's new video for "Whale Song" is posted below.

Kurt Vile's video for "Freak Train" is below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

by Bill Pearis

The Beets @ Death by Audio in August (more by Leia Jospe)

As mentioned earlier, Thee Oh Sees are playing a late show at Death by Audio, now thankfully Maze-free (I was scared of the minotaur), with The Fresh & Onlys and The Beets (who also play with Monotonix at Santos tonight). They're listed as "The Ghosties" but in case you're still in doubt, at Mercury Lounge last night John Dwyer said onstage "if you wanna see the Oh Sees in a sweaty, shitty little room, come to Death by Audio tomorrow night" so the cat is officially out of the bag.

So basically you have two chances to see Thee Oh Sees and Fresh & Onlys tonight -- earlier at The Bell House (with Golden Triangle) or super late (Beets are on at 11PM supposedly) at Death by Audio. The adventurous might go to both. They were both great last night at Mercury Lounge: The Fresh & Onlys' low-fi recordings disguise their impressive musicality a bit, they are a seriously good band; and Thee Oh Sees are just one of the best live bands out there right now. Whichever show you go to, get as close to the action as you can. Seeing John Dwyer's demented facial expressions is half the fun.

Turbo Fruits @ Death By Audio (more by Leia Jospe)

Also on that Monotonix bill tonight at Santos -- and at their show tomorrow (10/10) at Market Hotel -- are Nashville's Turbo Fruits whose new album on Fat Possum, Echo Kid, is a lot of fun. With a slight rockabilly influence (they do live in Music City), it's party rock in the best sense of the term, super-catchy and danceable, with a nice swagger to it. Check out "Mama's Mad Cause I Fried My Brain" at the top of this post. If you can't see them this weekend, Turbo Fruits will be back for CMJ in two weeks (two weeks!), playing Union Pool on Saturday October 24, with Lovvers (with whom their touring) and hometown pals JEFF the Brotherhood.

Lovvers are also on the bill of the TBA BrooklynVegan day show at Pianos on October 22nd that Speech Debelle isn't playing.

Timber Timbre

Timber Timbre (aka Toronto resident Taylor Kirk) is town for two shows: tonight (10/9) at Union Hall and tomorrow at Mercury Lounge. Like fellow Torontonians Still Life Still, who were here the last two nights, Timber Timbre is on the Arts & Crafts label who released his third album over the summer. The most obvious comparison, and one that is hard not to make, is Devendra Banhart. (Bon Iver is not entirely inappropriate, either.) I think it's the quivery element in his voice more than the music, which has a spooky Tom Waits-ish vibe to it at times. It's a nice record. He'll be back for CMJ too if you can't make this weekend's shows.

On somewhat related notes, Still Life Still were just added to the other TBA BrooklynVegan day party happening at Pianos during CMJ (10/24), and tickets went on sale today for Devendra Banhart's upcoming show at Town Hall.

Valleys @ Pop Montreal (more by Ryan Muir)

And finally, there's a massive show tonight (10/9) at Shea Stadium (the Williamsburg DIY venue, not the home of the Mets) tonight featuring Blue Jungle, Valleys, Scotland's Waters Wolves, Gary B & the Notions, German Measles, Young Boys, Le Rug, and Effing. A weird line-up, due to two shows being sort of crammed together (some of it was supposed to be at Silent Barn where the TV Ghost show is happening instead), but it's nights like this that you might just discover your new favorite band.

Tour dates, videos, blah blah blah after the jump..

Continue reading "Turbo Fruits, Timber Timbre, Shea Stadium, The Ghosties & more in This Week in Indie (part 2.5)"

Thee Oh Sees in Kansas in September (by Bond Natalya)

10.9 @ death by audio

.special guests "the ghosties"
..the fresh and onlys [san francisco]
...the beets

For The Beets, DBA is also one of two shows tonight. Their first is with Monotonix at Santos Party House. Monotonix also play Market Hotel on Saturday.

A video of The Intelligence covering Thee Oh Sees' "Block of Ice" in Dallas on October 3rd, below...

Continue reading "Thee Oh Sees & The Fresh & Onlys played Mercury Lounge, playing Death by Audio w/ The Beets after the Bell House"

The final lineup for Monolith Festival, which takes place at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on September 12th-13th, is below. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Girl Talk headline Saturday night at the festival, and the Mars Volta and MSTRKRFT top the bill on Sunday. Deer Tick, Passion Pit, Doom, The Walkmen, The Thermals, and HEALTH are also some of the bands on the two-day bill.

Tickets and two-day passes are still on sale. We also has a pair of weekend tickets to give away. Details on that, with the full lineup, below...

Continue reading "Monolith Festival - final 2009 lineup ++ WIN a two-day pass"

photos by Chris La Putt

Thee Oh Sees

"Largely unfamiliar with the bands on the roster, my husband and I went to Coney Island on Saturday to see Built to Spill headlining on the main stage of the annual Siren Music Festival. Normally, I love free shows. I like the freedom to walk away from a disappointing or uninteresting performance-as we did from Monotonix-without feeling guilty. And ticketless shows tend to draw all types, which appeals to the voyeur in me. Neither of us had been to Coney Island before, so it was mildly amusing to see the confluence of century old kitsch and aggressive marketing tactics by softdrink companies. (We tried a sample of something called Vio, "the world's first vibrancy drink," and it tasted vaguely like flourescent lighting and perfume.)

Anticipating the rush toward the stage as Built to Spill began, we found a decent spot where we'd be able to hear the band, if not see their faces. It was as close as we could get without my cheeks grazing across sweaty pectorals while trying to squeeze through. This is the point at any show when the fan in me starts to grin and breathe faster, to feel like I'd rather be right here than anywhere else in the world. To our horror, not only were the people around us talking so loud that we could barely hear the music, they weren't even facing the stage. The crowd was mingling as though at a singles mixer, drink in hand, shouting over the din, completely oblivious to the band on stage.

Now, while I've been known to complain about NYC hipsters at opportune times (like when I'm on the downtown L train), I generally think people are too hard on them. They're pretty benign as far as contrived fashion/music subcultures go. But when they prevent me from hearing and seeing a live performance by one of my favorite bands, simply because they can't stop yakking and flirting for a single minute, I feel, well, displeased.

Next show is hopefully Trail of Dead at All Points East. I'm bringing pepper-spray and my slapping hand." [Home on the Fringe]

Chris's Built to Spill pics are HERE, Raveonettes pics HERE, and the rest below...

Continue reading "the 2009 Siren Music Festival in Coney Island - pics (part 1) "

Monotonix are playing the free Siren Festival in Coney Island on July 18th (this Saturday). They'll surely be responsible for one of the most memorable sets of the day, though possibly not for their songs.

This fall, the band will set out on tour in support of their debut LP, Where Were You When It Happened?, which comes out September 8th on Drag City. The cover art (above) seems like a perfect match for a band whose antics include wearing hardly any clothes, mooning the crowd, and, just generally being hairy guys. The tour's NYC stops include a show at Santos Party House on October 9th and the Market Hotel on October 10th. Tickets for the Santos show are on sale now.

Monotonix tour-mates Turbo Fruits (who are playing Mercury Lounge this Saturday, July 18th - same day as Siren) are confirmed as the opener for Santos and elsewhere on tour. As mentioned many times before, Jonas Stein and John Eatherly of Be Your Own Pet play in Turbo Fruits. BYOP member Jemina Pearl is now solo, and was last seen playing an opening set on the Williamsburg Waterfront this past Sunday.

Monotonix's new album track list, with all tour dates, below.....

Continue reading "Monotonix - new album, Siren Fest & 2009 tour dates w/ Turbo Fruits (Santos Party House & Market Hotel)"

Willamette Week's Musicfest NW announces this year's festival line-up which will be held at various venues around the Portland, OR metropolitan area on September 16, 17, 18 & 19. On the heels of the most successful MFNW to date, MFNW 2009 launches with nothing but the hope of a bigger and better festival. MFNW's ultimate aim is to provide Portland with a unique and special musical experience that features all types of acts including nationally renowned artists while still honoring and supporting the special musical scene of the Northwest.

The lineup so far, including the newly-reunited Sunny Day Real Estate, is below...

Continue reading "Musicfest NW in Portland, OR (Sept 16-19) - lineup"

The Village Voice is excited to announce the addition of A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, THEE OH SEES, TINY MASTERS OF TODAY, JUSTINE D. and DeadHeat DJs to the line-up for the 9th Annual Village Voice SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ at Coney Island on Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m.

These artists join scheduled performers BUILT TO SPILL, SPANK ROCK, THE RAVEONETTES, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, GRAND DUCHY, MONOTONIX, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, JAPANDROIDS, MICACHU & THE SHAPES and BEAR HANDS at the free, all day, all ages music festival on two outdoor stages in historic Coney Island.

The 2nd Annual Official SIREN AFTER PARTY returns to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, July 18 at 9:00pm. FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS and GORDON VOIDWELL are scheduled to perform with more to be announced.

Thee Oh Sees are also playing the Woodsist Fest on July 4th.

APTBS play Santos Party House with the Secret Machines this Friday night (6/19).

The following Siren bands also have shows scheduled at Maxwell's: Future of the Left, Built to Spill, Grand Duchy, and Frightened Rabbit.

photos by Chris Graham

Erykah Badu

Day 1, Day 2, and the rest of the pictures from this year's festival...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2009 - Day 3 in pics (NSFW)"

photos by Chris Graham

The Wrens

"Some major changes have been made to the lay-out of the [Sasquatch] festival. The medium-sized stage (Wookie Stage) had been moved, as had the small stage (Yeti Stage) to make room for the new Comedy/Dance Tent. It didn't take long to get used to that, though...

...[The Wrens] did most of the songs from "Meadowlands", their bassist/keyboardist Kevin Wheelan exhorted the crowd multiple times and climbed atop his amplifiers, and the guys played like their lives depended on doing the best they have ever done. Their approach to the music is, in a word, fierce. [VARIOUS ECSTASIES]

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2009 - Day 2 in pics "

Mutek banner in Montreal - May 27, 2009 (bneely)

Mutek, the electronic music festival celebrating its tenth year, is currently underway in Montreal. The five-day fest runs to Sunday, May 31st, and it's streaming online. Moderat, the Modeselektor & Apparat supergroup, performed at Mutek on Thursday, May 28th; the group plays NYC's Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, May 30th (the show was originally planned for Webster Hall). Tickets are still on sale.

Speaking of parties up North this summer... three other biggies are Ottawa Bluesfest (July 8th-19th), Vancouver Folk Music Festival (July 17-19th) and Calgary Folk Music Festival (July 23rd-26th). Each of those suitably transcend the "blues" and "folk" labels, hosting bands like The Dead Weather and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (in Ottawa), The Weakerthans and Rock Plaza Central (in Vancouver), and The Decemberists, Apostle of Hustle, Kid Koala and Akron/Family (in Calgary). Full lineup for the Calgary Fest (Ottawa in particular is much too massive to post) and ticket info below.

And don't forget about the previously reported Breeders-headlined Sled Island Fest in Calgary on June 24th-27th, Montreal's Osheaga, NXNE, and Toronto's Olympic Island Fest on July 11th, which will host Broken Social Scene and its Arts & Crafts cohorts.

Across the pond, UK's Glastonbury Festival, which runs from June 24th to 28th, has been sold out since February even though the full lineup wasn't announced until this week. Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Blur will be joined by The Specials, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Spinal Tap, Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Madness, Tom Jones, Animal Collective and many others.

And finally in the States, Monolith Festival, which runs from September 12th to 13th at Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Colorado, has announced its intial lineup, Girl Talk, Passion Pit, and The Walkmen included. The whole thing is posted below.

The weekend before Monolith, Bumbershoot will take place in Seattle (September 5th-7th). That fest's lineup has been updated too. New additions include Vivian Girls, Akron/Family, and Elvis Perkins. All new additions, with previously announced acts, are below. Tickets are still on sale.

In Michigan, the Rothbury Festival over July 4th weekend will feature the only summer fest performance by The Dead, as well as sets by Bob Dylan, String Cheese Incident, Broken Social Scene and more. A few more jam-friendly acts were also just added to the bill. Full lineup below. Tickets are on sale.

Info on all the above fests, with ticket info, below...

Continue reading "Mutek underway, Monolith & Glastonbury lineups, Rothbury, Bumbershoot, Calgary Folk & other festival updates"

a shot from Sled Island 2008 (more by Rae Holtsabum)

The Sled Island Music and Arts Festival -- taking place at various venues in Calgary, Alberta from June 24 to June 27 -- is pleased to announce the initial line-up and the inclusion of Olympic Plaza as the main venue on Friday, June 26. This year will include over 200 bands performing at 23 venues plus art shows, film screenings, and a comedy component at the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival.

Sled Island 2009 will feature performances by the influential indie rock darlings The Breeders (featuring Kim Deal of the Pixies) making their first Calgary performance, NYC post-punk revivalists Liars bringing the noise, the legendary Canadian metal band Anvil the recent subjects of the critically acclaimed documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil and the garage rock assault of Tel Aviv's Monotonix known for their incredible live show. New Orleans-based musician and mad genius inventor of the 'drum buddy' Quintron & Ms. Pussycat will bring the party along with blood-soaked party rocker Andrew W.K. and Toronto-based electro tour-de-force Holy Fuck on the more 'offensive' front. Phil Elverum's (of The Microphones) latest moniker Mount Eerie will deliver a symbiotic balance of fuzz and folk matched by Owen Pallett's Final Fantasy surrealist violin stage performance. Calgary-based experimental icons Azeda Booth aim to mystify crowds along with their all-male psychedelic pop counterparts Women making their second festival appearance...The complete festival line-up and schedule will be revealed on June 1. [pr]

As previously reported, Colin Newman, vocalist and guitarist for Wire, will be guest curating this year's festival. Full lineup below...

Continue reading "Sled Island - 2009 fest lineup (Breeders, Liars, Anvil & more) "

Monotonix @ Mess With Texas (during SXSW 2009) (More)

[The Village Voice is] downright ebullient to announce the official details on this year's Siren Festival, which will, as always be free, all ages, and rain or shine. It'll take place on Saturday, July 18 at Coney Island and likely involve a crowd-surfing drummer. Without further adieu:

SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL
At Coney Island, NYC

Saturday, July 18, 2009
Noon - 9:00pm

BUILT TO SPILL
THE RAVEONETTES
FRIGHTENED RABBIT
THE GRAND DUCHY
MONOTONIX
MICACHU & THE SHAPES

+ more TBA

Micachu is also playing the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle later that month.

Monotonix also has another Brooklyn show coming up much sooner.

Grand Duchy is Frank Black and Violet Clark.

words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Nate "Igor" Smith

Monotonix played a handful of shows while at SXSW this year. One was Mess With Texas 3 on Saturday, March 21st. Another was a performance at the late-night Red Bull Moon Tower Party (an afterhours spot that ran each night of SXSW in Austin). The pictures in this post are from the latter.

The Israeli band, which is in the midst of recording its first LP, will play Brooklyn's Club Europa on Tuesday, May 19th with The Homosexuals and Rice. Tickets are on sale now.

The band is also on the bill for the Sasquatch Fest on May 25th in Quincy, WA. All dates and more pictures below...

Continue reading "Monotonix - tour dates (Europa) & another set of pics (SXSW)"

Act: Monotonix

Where: "Mess With Texas" day party at Waterloo Park

What It Was Like: Absolute insanity. The music itself is pretty good; punk-edged, sleazy hard-rock. What sets the band apart from any other I saw during the entire festival was the members' complete disregard for their own safety. This was not a mere rock show. It was a war against monotony, and they were ready to make any sacrifice. Singer Ami Shalev climbed the lighting rig, dove into the crowd, crowd-surfed standing on a floor tom and stuck his microphone up his ass--only to put it to his lips moments later. Even more impressive than the stuntman acrobatics, though, was when he actually managed to get the frenzied crowd near the stage to sit down during a quiet moment. Because the band spent the entire show wading through and surfing on top of the audience, it was the only moment when Shalev could be clearly seen by most of the crowd. Otherwise, he was usually just a blur of hair and sweat seen in glimpses through a chaotic screen of arms and cameras.

Verdict: Inspiring. The way they threw themselves into their performance with such disregard of their own safety and trust of the audience was nothing short of spectacular.

Coitus Interruptus: When the sound was cut mid-song, Shalev proudly proclaimed that it was the third time in three sets that the band was stopped short. Dunno if that's something to be proud of--any jackass can just keep playing past his scheduled stop time. [Dallas Observer]

They played right before the Circle Jerks. More Monotonix pics below...

Continue reading "Monotonix @ Mess With Texas 2009 in Austin (SXSW) - pics"

photos by Faith-Ann Young

DOWNLOAD: Black Lips - "O Katrina!" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Monotonix - "Ride" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lucero - "What Else Would You Have Me Be" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Abe Vigoda - "Don't Lie" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cut Off Your Hands - "Turn Cold" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - "Bag Of Hammers" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Japanther - "Um Like Yer Smile Is Totally Ruling Me Right Now" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Red Cortez - "World At Rest" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: HOWL - "Oma" (MP3)

A set of pictures from Tuesday's Black Lips show at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the lineup for next Saturday's free, 3rd annual Mess With Texas party in Austin, below....

Continue reading "Black Lips played MHOW (pics), playing Mess With Texas in Austin (as are a lot of other bands - full free lineup)"

Jane's Addiction - @ Echoplex, Los Angeles - Feb 16, 2009 (revolute)

Live Nation and Adam Zacks are pleased to announce this year's line up for the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the legendary Gorge in Eastern Washington. The festival, now in its eighth and most ambitious year yet, has evolved from a unique, homegrown & low key fest into a full blown three day extravaganza. A festival-goer's dream, it comes complete with camp-outs, canyons, sunsets, three stages and new this year, an expanded comedy and dance music tent. The tent will feature performances from comedians throughout the day, and then come dusk, will spotlight electronic and dance music artists.

Already the official opener to summer for music fans, the Sasquatch! Music Festival is becoming a certified monster of a musical event: this year features another exciting and diverse line-up for the musically adventurous, and ups the ante on an event already hailed for its independent spirit. Tickets go on sale Saturday February 28th at 10AM

Today it was announced that Jane's (feat. all four original members), NIN, Kings of Leon, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups, Bon Iver, Santigold, and many others are playing this year's Sasquatch Festival (May 23, 24, 25, 2009 @ The Gorge in Quincy, WA). Full lineup and ticket info below...

Continue reading "Jane's Addiction played LA, headlining SASQUATCH Festival (which just announced most of the 2009 LINEUP)"